Genesis- The Opposition of The Serpent

I was just speaking with a friend along the lines that I often seek to interact, discussing faith. Naturally as two who have examined our own faith in detail we encountered areas where there is disagreement. This conversation and process made me realize something about Genesis 3 specifically.

Genesis 3:5 (The serpent)

“For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Genesis 3:22 (The Lord God)

And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil..."

These two verses, spoken from perspectives that are broadly considered opposing, seem strikingly similar. That being said, many Christians I have spoken with remember Genesis 3:5 where the serpent speaks, and remember the serpent as a liar, and so remember this idea of becoming like God as a lie. Because of this belief formed in opposition to the serpent, it is often as if the words of The Lord God in Genesis 3:22 are disbelieved or explained/reconciled away in some fashion. 

This made me recognize something that I have often observed but had never fully consciously let sink in: one is often more easily moved by one's enemy than by one's friend. I have heard it said that people learned to build walls from their enemies, for example; this is because an attack is met with one's opposition, and this opposition seems to resonate with a person deeper than their conscious mind, with subconscious reinforcement joining the fight, for survival's sake. It seems a direct attack is more easily and deeply recognized than a commandment or statement by a mentor or a friend, which The Lord God may have been considered by Adam at this stage, as they walked together in Eden. As such the commandment not to eat was disregarded (though I believe this had much more to do with the love of Eve placed in opposition to the commandment), and since this time in the individual belief structures of many, when presented with these two similar statements, the serpent's words are believed as a lie, and in many cases the words of The Lord God are overlooked.

If one instead looks at the words of The Lord God and takes them as truth, but also maintains the belief that the words of the serpent are a lie, one sees that there must be a complexity in the details of the statements "You will be like God" and "The man has now become like one of us." As the serpent's words were couched with others, could it be another part of the statement was a lie? "Your eyes will be opened" perhaps might not be true, because their eyes were open but could not see in this way, could be one interpretation here. Could it be that the serpent knew The Lord God would not allow for the other necessary step of allowing Adam to live forever, thus preventing man becoming like God? In this interpretation the lie would be not telling the whole truth, with the serpent omitting what they knew to be the second half of The Lord God's response in Genesis 3:22 "'He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.'" 

There is another possibility I am glimpsing here, although I do not have a specific answer as to what it might mean, only an interesting use of terms to point out, that was once illuminated for me. In Genesis 1 God was simply titled "God." This continues through God's rest in Genesis 2:3. In Genesis 2:4 this title changes to "The Lord God" and this new title persists throughout Eden. This shift is sharp, God is only mentioned before 2:4, and The Lord God is only used as a title after 2:3, except by the serpent, and in response by Eve, who each mention God in their discussion. I will admit that I have found this distinction in title most interesting; especially as if one is examining a realm freshly crafted through words (The Word) then titles are fundamentally meaningful, but as of yet I have no definitive answer for why this distinction may be highlighted by the author (The Author). It does present another possibility for distinction in Genesis 3:5 and 3:22 though: the serpent said "you will be like God" but it was The Lord God who said "The man has now become like one of us." If there is a material distinction in these the titles of "God" and "The Lord God," then it could be that the man became like The Lord God as indicated by The Lord God, but that the man did not become like God, as indicated by the serpent. 

Again, I'm not entirely sure what this distinction might be- perhaps it is based on how God reflects in Creation in relation to one observing God, but as of yet I personally stake no definitive claim/position one way or another on what this means, I am simply pointing out the terms used here for the reader, a distinction I had not seen personally until a few years back, after many readings of Genesis. What I am certain of is that the Bible is written very precisely, I believe with the intention of being something we would consider to be a legal document. For this reason a detailed reading and examination of each piece, especially those pieces that might appear contradictory upon a cursory reading, reveals more about the structure. I believe God is attempting to speak to us through The Bible, but in a language that is both foreign and deeply powerful (the same language used to create all things), and so such use of what might be considered "technicalities" and "semantics" allow for small pieces of this language to be examined, probably so the language of God does not overwhelm us for being heard at "full volume," so that a more accurate understanding of this language might be gained in small steps by the reader, in hopes that we might actually communicate directly with God at some point (again).